The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-07-07
WILKES BOOTHS DEED.
THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Andrew johnson and Mrs. Surratt--H
Regard for Religion Might Have Saved
Lincoln.
(Anniston, Ala, Hot Blast.)
AS the day approaches that marks the
yearly record of Lincoln's death, l find
myself dwelling upon it with more than
usual sadness, because happen to be
amid the surroundings that framed in
the startling report when it reached me.
1t is strange that this free government
of ours, the crime, which of oil others is
the outgrowth of despotism, should find
development. DO extremes meet in this
way, or may we tako this strange ap-
pearance of assassination as @ symptom
of deep seated disease that escapes or
dinary seeing? Are we, after all, lifted
above the ills of tyranny in our form of
government, or have we only shifted the
evils of oppression by one, or few, to
that Of the many? LIS not the despotism
of majority as intolerable as that of
ono man or of class? Our government
has developed into one Of parties, and,
while our constitution was framed to
protect the minority, the unwritton con-
stitution Of experience running through
century, really proclaims the fact that
minority has no rights which the party
in power is bound to respect.
1t is little singular, however, that
our two instances of assassination, which
startled the civilized world, wero outside
the ordinary run Of politics. Booth
struck for the South, then in armed re-
volt, and Guiteau killed the President
his party had elected. But these draw
no line and only illustrate the fact that
heated craftsmanship, uttered in words, is
insane. Booths bullet had back of it
JEFF Daviss utterances, while Guiteaus
pistol, fired at Washington, was louded
at Utica.
OF course Jeff Davis, nor Roscoe
ConkGng, ever dreamed of such iItents,
and were undoubtedly shocked and
panied at the results. The fact remains,
however, and should be lesson to the
leaders to teach them to be more guard
ed in their utterances. The wild ex
aggerations as to the vital importance of
each political campaign, which we hear
from the stump and read in the press,
are dangerous, for while the masses take
them at their true value, cranks are
stirred into devilish activity.
We must remember, too, that for two
thousand years, poets, orators and pa
triots have been singing the praises of
the assassins-of all popular saints
Brutus and Charlotte Corday have been
that neither was animated by any lofty
Iap y nc lotriDtin T1nfiun tho l,o-
ing that one was low sort of woman
and the other mean man. Booth and
Gulteau were quite as good as the classic
pair. Next to setting up a sham as a
popular idol, the greatest difficulty is to
pull down again and escape the conse-
quences of our own folly. Good may
come out of violence done by masses
when they rise half starved against op-
preston, but there is no good in assassi-
nation. There is difference between
murder and war.
These thoughts, however, are not ger
name to what ] sat down to write. 1
only seek to record some facts connected
with the awful murder of the great and
good President
When the news of President Lincoln's
assassination startled the people l was at
my home, on the Mac-o- -chee, Ohio
While walking along the pike near to-
ward the village, some two miles dis
man on horseback whose sad face struck
me. American farmers have the saddest
faces of all humanity, but this wore a
gloom Of unusual depth. Stopping
when near me, he asked if [ had heard
the news, and getting response in the
negative, he continued:
"They do say at Liberty that Lincoln
is dead"
s'Dead?" repeated.
eyes; shot dead by play-actor, or
circus chap, or somo sort of follow Of
that kind"
hurried on. was struck by the
silence of the town. Life in the four
years of bloody disasters on our part,
which were que as bloody in our year
of victory as they were in our defeats,
had been terribly cheapened in public
estimation. The reports of thousands
left dead upon the field, or dying in
hospitals, were received with noisy com.
ment, it is true, but yet with q certain
indifference. Here, however, was a
death that commanded grave attention,
and seemed to change the day itself from
one of noisy life to Sabbath-liko still
ness. The shops were open but desert
ed, and around the corners the people
were collected gazing at each other in
silence Towards noon the country peo,
pie began to gather in. They came
directly from home in their ordinary
work clothes, and as returned soldiers,
stimulated by liquor, grew noisy and the
threatening feeling spread, anl during
the day and night, [ expected to hear o.
certain obnoxious Democrats, known as
Copperheads, being mobbed and NAL
treated. But we escaped oil violence
and in twenty-four hours the excitemeni
of that sort subsided.
Had political organizations been more
evenly divided at that time the conse
Guences would have been doplorabIe
But the Republican party meant tbeT
the American people at the North, anf
popular fury was expended in dennncia
tion of jeff Davis and the rebels, as the,
were called. 1t was generally believed
that the assassins were agents of tn,
Confederates, who, failing In the field